STUDENT TOURS AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM

The National World War II Museum offers docent-led tours of the exhibit for school groups. Reservations are required at least two weeks in advance and are subject to availability. In order to ensure that your tour has been scheduled, verbal confirmation is required. Please read the following information before making your reservation.

2009 Field Trip Costs

15+ Students $5.00 per studentAdditional Adults $10.00 per adult One teacher or chaperone (21+ years of age) per 10 students is required - FreePlease make your reservations at least two weeks in advance and allow approximately 2 hours to visit the museum.

YOUR STUDENTS WILL TOUR THE MUSEUM IN ONE OF TWO WAYS:

The Docent-Led Tour

The National World War II Museum offers a limited number of docent-led tours of the Museum, Tuesday through Saturday. These tours are offered to groups of no more than 60 students and must be arranged at least two weeks in advance. Your students will tour one of two wings of the Museum.

A two-hour tour of the Invasion of Normandy exhibit includes:

• The beginning of World War II• Efforts on the Home Front • Andrew Higgins and the Higgins Boats • The Invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944 • From Normandy to Berlin

A two-hour tour of the new D-Day Invasions in the Pacific wing includes:

• The beginning of World War II • Efforts on the Home Front • Andrew Higgins and the Higgins Boats • D-Days in the Pacific: From Pearl Harbor to the Atomic Bomb

Due to graphic content, we do not offer docent-led tours of the D-Day Invasions in the Pacific for younger groups. Volunteer docents will give your group a brief Museum orientation. They will meet your group at the Magazine St. entrance to the Museum. Docents will lead students in small groups on an interpretive tour of the Museum’s exhibits.

The Self-Guided Visit

Because The National World War II Museum is unable to provide a docent-led tour of the exhibits for all schools who wish to visit the Museum, the Education Department makes available an activity that will help your students explore the Museum’s many galleries.

The National World War II Museum’s “Facts about Artifacts Hunt” should be assigned to your class in order to provide structure to their visit. Letting your students know that they will be graded on their work will encourage them to complete this activity.

When you arrive at the Museum, you will be greeted by a Museum representative and escorted into the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. While your group leader visits our ticket desk to finalize payment, the students and chaperones will be given a 4-6 minute orientation to help them get the most out of their visit. During this orientation, we will separate students into the groups of ten you established prior to your arrival. Once everything is in place, the students will enter the Museum’s exhibits by group.

Please assign each group a World War II-related name. Make sure students know their group names and have a list of these names available.

Museum Policies, Reminders and Suggestions

Parking:School buses should drop students off on Magazine Street in the bus zone next to the Museum (because of the traffic flow, it is not safe to drop students off directly in front of the Museum on Andrew Higgins Boulevard). Once the students are dropped off the buses will be required to park elsewhere as the bus zone is for drop off and pick up only. There is free bus parking under the bridge two blocks from the Museum. Cars and vans may also drop students and at least one chaperone off in this bus zone, but cannot park there. Paid parking lots are located nearby. Large bags, backpacks and lunches are not allowed in the Museum.

Length of Visit:Your visit to The National World War II Museum should last approximately 2 hours, depending on class size, not including visiting the Museum Store. Please plan your visit accordingly.

Restrooms: All restrooms are located on the first floor in two locations. Students who need to use the restrooms should do so immediately after arriving at the Museum.

Accessibility:The National World War II Museum is fully accessible to people with disabilities. Please inform the Museum before your arrival about any students, teachers or chaperones with special needs. Elevators are available, but time consuming. We encourage their use only for those who have difficulty using stairs.

Admission Cost:Your total cost of admission is required before your tour begins. Cash, checks, money orders, Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discover are accepted. Make checks out to The National World War II Museum. Admission is $5.00 per student. One teacher or chaperone per 10 students is required. To prevent overcrowding, please bring no more than 1 chaperone for every 5 students. (Example: A group of 50 students would need at least 5 chaperones, but may not be accompanied by more than 10). Chaperones (up to one per every 5 students) are admitted free of charge. Additional chaperones will be charged $10.00.

Lunch:There are no facilities in the Museum in which your students can eat lunch. In good weather, students may enjoy a picnic in nearby Lafayette Square, Lee Circle or Woldenberg Park.

Photography:Photography is allowed in the Museum, but with three limitations. Flash photography is not allowed in the exhibit .Tripods are not allowed in the exhibit. Video cameras are not allowed in the exhibit.

Graphic Content Warning:The National World War II Museum’s D-Day Invasions in the Pacific exhibit presents graphic images of war. These include photographs of wounded and dead soldiers, civilian casualties of aerial bombardments and prisoners of war. The National World War II Museum does not offer docent-led tours of this exhibit for students under 7th grade, and we strongly recommend that teachers and chaperones of self-escorted visits to the Museum closely accompany your students through the Museum.

If you would like to preview the Museum’s exhibits before your field trip, please contact the Education Department at (504) 528-1944 x 225, and we will provide you with a free ticket.

Films at The National World War II Museum:The Museum shows two films alternately in the Malcolm Forbes Theater. D-Day Remembered, a 48-minute film, provides an excellent background on D-Day and can help prepare your students for their exploration through the Museum, but we do not recommend including it in your visit, due to its length.

Price for Peace, a 45-minute film, presents an overview of the Allied campaigns in the Pacific Theater and the heavy toll this laid on the soldiers who fought there. This film shows the graphic side of war, and is not recommended for younger viewers. We do not recommend including it in your visit, due to its length.

If you wish to purchase a copy of either film to show to your class in advance of your visit, please contact The National World War II Museum Store, at (504) 528-1944 x 244 or purchase in the Online Store. Purchase Orders are accepted.

Museum Store:The Museum Store offers a variety of fun and educational items for students that range in price from 50 cents and up. Teachers need to be aware of certain Store guidelines: All students need to be reminded to behave appropriately when visiting the store. All students visiting the store must be accompanied by at least one chaperone. Students should only visit the store while in their groups. These rules also apply to the PJ’s coffee shop located in the Museum.

Memorial Bricks:In addition to the exhibit, The National World War II Museum is also the home to thousands of memorial bricks purchased in honor of World War II veterans. The Museum is happy to help a student locate a specific brick. Please make your students aware that they will need to know the last name of the person who commissioned the brick.

To Make a Reservation:

Please call Group Sales at 504-528-1944 x 222 or x. 291 Monday through Friday, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Be prepared to provide the following information:

• Date and Time you wish to bring your class • Number and Grade of your students • Number of Adults • Method of payment • Phone number • Additional contact information

The Museum must be notified as soon as possible of any changes in your reservation (time, number of students, cancellation). We may not be able to accommodate significant last minute changes in reservations.

Once you have made your reservation, The National World War II Museum will send you a pre-visit package of information and activities to prepare your students for their Museum visit.